The success of Web 2.0 and the popularity of mobile applications has revealed an important fact. Having an engaging or otherwise compelling user experience is critical to an application's success. Given a choice, people will replace an application they find difficult to use with something that's easier; even if the replacement doesn't do everything the original did. Some businesses bring in professional User Experience Designers in an attempt to deal with this issue. The problem is that most designers don't actually write code, and running code is the key factor in determining what kind of user experience your customers have. That's why it is critical that you understand the principles and fundamentals presented in this talk. You'll leave with a better handle on what user experience is, and what you can do to ensure your application delivers the best possible user experience to your customers

1. 9.7 Things
Every Programmer
Should Know
About User Experience
BurkHufnagel@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 1

2. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 2

3. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 3

4. Who am I?
• Programmer / Software Architect /
Fan of User Experience Design
• Speaker
JavaOne 2008
Atlanta IT Architect Regional Conference - IASA 2007, 2009, and 2010
DevNexus 2010
• Author
“97 Things Every Programmer Should Know” - 2010
“97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know” - 2009
“User Experience: The Hidden Art Everyone Sees” - IASA 2007
“Mind Like A Sword” - blog at mindlikeasword.blogger.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 4

5. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 5

6. Who are you?
(A) User Experience Designer?
(B) Architect?
(C) Programmer?
(D) Other?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 6

7. THE FOLLOWING TALK HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR
THIS AUDIENCE
BY YOUR ATTENDANCE, WHICH IMPLIES CONSENT
mindlikeasword.blogger.com burkhufnagel@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 7

8. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 8

9. You have been warned!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 9

10. Thing to Know #1
There is always
a user experience.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 10

11. What is
“user experience”?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 11

12. User experience describes
how people feel when
they use your product.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 12

13. Thing to Know #2
User experience
is subjective and
may change over time.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 13

14. What is
user experience design?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 14

15. User experience design
is about designing
things consciously,
and not just letting
things happen.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 15

16. Thing to Know #3
User experience design
is a process not a step.
The goal is making things
simple and pleasurable
for the user.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 16

17. Why is it important?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 17

18. “Third Base”
There is always
a user experience.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 18

19. Thing to Know #4
User experience is a
key to the success, or
failure of your product.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 19

20. “Attractive things
work better.”
from “Emotional Design” by Donald Norman
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 20

21. Really?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 21

22. iPhone Ocarina
$1 Million in 6 months!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 22

23. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 23

24. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 24

25. “Make the screen
five inches by
eight inches and
you’ll rule the world.”
Alan Kay about the iPhone
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 25

26. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 26

27. Real-World Example 1
How much is a
button worth?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 27

28. Would you believe
$300 Million?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 28

29. http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 29

30. http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 30

31. Why should you care?
“Because caring about things like beauty makes us
better programmers and engineers. We make
better things. Things that aren't just functional,
but easy to read, elegantly maintainable, easier--
and more joyful--to use, and sometimes flat-out
sexy. A passion for aesthetics can mean the
difference between code that others enjoy
working on vs. code that's stressful to look at.”
Kathy Sierra - Creating Passionate Users
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 31

32. Who are you?
(A) User Experience Designer?
(B) Architect?
(C) Programmer?
The answer isn’t A, B, or C.
It’s A and B, or A and C.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 32

33. Thing to Know #5
You are a user
experience designer.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 33

34. How do we design
compelling/great/positive
user experiences?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 34

35. Things to Know #6
More interactivity
is better than less.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 35

36. WiFi at Starbucks
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 36

37. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 37

38. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 38

39. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 39

40. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 40

41. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 41

42. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 42

43. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 43

44. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 44

45. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 45

46. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 46

47. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 47

48. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 48

49. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 49

50. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 50

51. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 51

52. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 52

53. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 53

54. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 54

55. Dealing with the Dentist
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 55

56. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 56

57. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 57

58. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 58

59. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 59

60. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 60

61. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 61

62. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 62

63. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 63

64. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 64

65. Which one would
you rather use?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 65

66. Thing to Know #7
Test Driven Development
is a user experience tool.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 66

67. Ever been in a code review?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 67

68. Look at things from
your user’s point of view.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 68

69. People
Interface
Data
From “Designing the obvious”
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 69

70. Use Interface
Interface
Business Logic
and Data
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 70

71. User
Interface
Interface
Business Logic
and Data
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 71

72. User
Interface
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 72

73. Things to Know #8
User Interface != User Experience
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 73

74. Things to Know #9
Your user’s
mental model
is a key to success.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 74

75. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 75

76. Duke’s Bank: JEE Tutorial
Swing App talks to Controllers.
Controllers talk to entities.
Each Account must have at least one Customer
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 76

77. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 77

78. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 78

79. Duke’s Bank: Redone
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 79

80. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 80

81. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 81

82. Things to Know #9.7
This is just the beginning.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 82

83. From “Creating Passionate Users”
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 83

84. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 84

85. Confession / Test
This talk has been a
user experience.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 85

86. How to craft a User Experience
From “Passionate User’s” blog by Kathy Sierra
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 86

87. Resources
• “Creating Passionate Users” - Kathy Sierra
• Podcasts:
pixel8 : What makes great user experiences?
dConstruct 2006, 2007
UX Week
Adaptive Path
• Search the web for UX or UX Design
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 87

88. Resources
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 88

89. Resources
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 89

90. Resources
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 90

91. Resources
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 91

92. Resources
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 92

93. Contact me at:
BurkHufnagel@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 93

94. Contact me at:
BurkHufnagel@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 94

95. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 95

96. Make it easy to do
the right thing,
and hard to do
the wrong thing.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 96

97. Do you know this man?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 97

98. Think about the User?
or
Think about the Product?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 98

99. Please silence
your communication
devices.
Thank you
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 99

100. “Once you start down
the dark path,
forever will it dominate
your destiny.”
- Master Yoda
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 100

101. You may be a
User Experience Designer
• Ever design a web page or a GUI?
• Ever design an API
or a class someone else used?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 101

102. You may be a
User Experience Designer
• Ever had your code reviewed?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 102

103. Tuesday, March 9, 2010 103